Healthcare2U’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. John Rodriguez, speaks with Jeff Kennedy on a few ways to improve your sleep hygiene. Dr. Rodriguez explains why poor sleep hygiene affects our health so negatively and tips on how to get better sleep. To read the interview transcript, click here.
To view more helpful Healthcare2U videos, check out our YouTube Channel!
Healthcare2U’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. John Rodriguez, is featured in a live WAFB-9 News story giving tips on how to manage stress around the holidays with reporter Breanne Bizette.
Bizette: The holiday season can come with challenges. For some, it’s stressing over which gift to buy, while others may have a hard time celebrating the season without a loved one this year.
Dr. Rodriguez: The tradition of the holiday blues is a legitimate disease process that can be overlooked. And we just assume, and you don’t need to suffer with those.
Bizette: Dr. John Rodriguez with Healthcare2U says it’s normal to experience anxiety or even depression during the winter months. He says a lot of patients may have seasonal affective disorder. Doctors say when the weather changes, it can affect your mood.
Dr. Rodriguez: Talk to your primary care physician if it’s really something you can’t overcome, primary care physicians treat a majority of seasonal effective disorder conditions in terms of either counseling or directing you to the therapy or medication if need be.
Bizette: Dr. Rodriguez says staying active in the community or engaging with loved ones can also help keep your spirits up. But when it comes to stress during the holidays, he says it’s always best to plan ahead.
Dr. Rodriguez: I think preparation is the key, knowing that “OK, I struggle this time of the year. What can I do to reduce my stress?” I think one of those things too is the gift giving side, right? How to reduce the financial parts.
Bizette: He urges people who may experience these symptoms to get your shopping done ahead of time and set a budget on how much you are going to spend. Breanne Bizette, WAFB-9 News.
To view more helpful Healthcare2U videos, check out our YouTube Channel!
Even if you haven’t been diagnosed with diabetes,
you may have prediabetes.
Have you ever heard of prediabetes? Few have, but it is an issue that — if left untreated — can evolve into a diabetes diagnosis. There are two types of diagnoses: type 1 and type 2. Type 1 diabetes often results from an autoimmune reaction and usually appears in adolescents and young adults. In contrast, type 2 develops over many years and is typically a result of poor diet and lack of exercise. What many people don’t know is that, if an individual has prediabetes, they are 70 percent more likely to end up developing type 2 diabetes. Let’s cover prediabetes’ risk factors, available tests, and the treatments for this sneaky precursor to diabetes.
Prediabetes is when your blood sugar levels are higher than usual but not high enough to be categorized as type 2 diabetes. A staggering 1 in 3 Americans has prediabetes. Of those people, more than 80 percent don’t know they have it.
While there are usually no symptoms for prediabetes, the following list includes risk factors:
Race and ethnicity are also factors. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, American Indians, Pacific Islanders, and some Asian Americans are at higher risk.
If you have any risk factors listed above, the CDC suggests following up with your primary care physician to test your blood sugar levels. The following are blood tests available to check for prediabetes:
The good news regarding prediabetes is that it can be reversed through lifestyle changes if caught early. If you are concerned or have tested within the prediabetic range, have a conversation with your primary care physician. In the meantime, here are a few common steps to begin treatment for prediabetes:
Prediabetes is a problem far more prevalent than you may think, and it has alarming statistics to back it up. One issue contributing to these statistics is people do not realize that prediabetes has no symptoms, and you can live with it for years before it develops into a more serious condition. Due to a lack of education, among other reasons, many people delay seeking medical care unless a condition is seen as urgent.
Delaying medical care can have serious repercussions, especially regarding chronic diseases. At Healthcare2U, we aim to eliminate barriers to primary care and the ongoing treatment of manageable disease states. Our Direct Primary Care (DPC) membership offers unlimited treatment and management of 13 chronic diseases, including diabetes. Membership is an affordable way to — not only manage chronic diseases — but to access care before a serious illness develops. Click here to learn more about how Healthcare2U’s membership benefits our members.
Healthcare2U’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. John Rodriguez, speaks with Guy Wehman on why it feels like more and more people have a gluten allergy these days. Dr. Rodriguez explains what exactly gluten is, some of the myths behind it, its symptoms, and how to test yourself to see if you have a gluten allergy.
To read the interview transcript, click here.
To view more helpful Healthcare2U videos, check out our YouTube Channel!
August 25, 2021 (Austin, TX) – Healthcare2U today announced their placement within the prestigious Inc. 5000 list for the 2021 year. After experiencing impressive growth of 66 percent member adoption in 2020, Healthcare2U ranks among the nation’s most successful private companies. As the nation’s fastest-growing hybrid Direct Primary Care organization, Healthcare2U is honored to join the Inc 5000 list, a symbol of entrepreneurial success and innovation.
“Direct Primary Care is not a new concept; rather, it may be healthcare’s oldest payment model. Back in the day, if you needed primary care from a physician, you paid directly for that care, with no copays or deductibles. This is the traditional model on which Healthcare2U was founded,” says Andy Bonner, CEO of Healthcare2U. “Since our inception, we’ve expanded the direct primary care model into an innovative membership that boasts unlimited benefits and hands-on patient navigation across all 50 states. This integrated membership delivers primary medical care while eliminating the hassle of insurance copays, claims and deductibles. By promoting clarity around the entry point to the healthcare system, Healthcare2U encourages members to become active participants in their health while delivering a proven 13+ percent first-year ROI for employer groups.”
Healthcare2U’s mission of providing nationwide affordable and convenient access to healthcare prioritizes the principle of member education and navigation. Their Direct Primary Care membership provides one central phone number for all non-emergency medical concerns. This patient navigation hotline guides members through unlimited DPC benefits, such as in-office acute visits for primary care and urgent care, annual physicals, early-stage chronic disease management, and 24/7 virtual DPC.
Over the last three years, Healthcare2U’s business has grown exponentially through multiple initiatives such as their nationwide Partnership Program. This program helps insurance agencies and third-party administrators expand benefit offerings by packaging existing products with Healthcare2U’s DPC suite of integrated primary care services. With these comprehensive initiatives, employer groups can customize their benefits packages to reduce healthcare expenses and expand employee benefits to motivate and retain their workforce. As a result, employers can attract, motivate, and retain their employees with affordable healthcare—reducing presenteeism, absenteeism, and the onset of serious illnesses, which drive future healthcare costs.
Healthcare2U is proud to accept this award and continue advocating for more equitable access to healthcare across the United States.
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Tweet this: Healthcare2U joins the Inc. 5000 list which hosts many of the nation’s most successful private companies. Learn more here: https://hlthc2u.com/3Df8HOL
Find Healthcare2U on LinkedIn and Twitter: @Healthc2U, and follow Healthcare2U’s blog to keep on top of company developments, news, and informative articles.
About Healthcare2U
Healthcare2U is a membership-based, hybrid direct primary care (DPC) organization that ensures employers of all sizes and structures have nationwide access to affordable, consistent, and quality primary care over 40% below the average cost of traditional DPC practices operating in the market today. Through our proprietary Private Physician Network (PPN)™, Healthcare2U promotes healthy living by detecting, treating, and managing acute and chronic conditions before the onset of serious illness. Healthcare2U is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and is available nationwide. For more information, visit www.healthc2u.com.
©2021 Healthcare2U, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Healthcare2U and the Healthcare2U logo are trademarks of Healthcare2U, LLC in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks referenced are those of their respective owners.
Media Contact:
Courtney Babin
(512) 900-8900 x 114
Courtney@healthc2u.com
www.healthc2u.com
The sun was already setting on the traditional in-office business world, but this past year drastically upended the conventional style. Established ways – such as having a workforce in one location, and one-size-fits-all benefit plans – quickly fell out of favor as 2020 became an accelerant that forced a reckoning on all fronts. From business practice to healthcare packages, companies on the cutting edge of technology and innovation fared better than those who were slower to adopt new methodologies. In short, outdated traditions are being replaced by various healthcare solutions. Let’s quickly focus on one that transcends socioeconomic and geographic barriers for employers of every size.
What is Direct Primary Care?
The Direct primary care model (or DPC, for short) is a healthcare payment model where patients, or consumers, pay for their membership directly in the form of periodic payments for a defined set of primary care services. DPC emphasizes the relationship between a patient and his/her family physician to improve health outcomes and lowers overall health care costs. This model has evolved to be a cost-effective solution that makes healthcare more accessible to everyone, often via a multi-platform delivery of care through virtual or in-person visits.
Now, the pandemic taught businesses to lean into flexibility. A recent survey found 74 percent of CFOs plan to keep workers remote after the pandemic. From a financial standpoint, having a remote workforce makes sense. The cost savings have allowed many companies to avoid further severe cuts and downsizing.
Situations like these will raise new healthcare issues for a team working from a variety of locations. And, for those employers who were forced to lay off workers, shrinking headcounts could also have an unforeseen impact on insurance premiums. What that means for employers is the traditional options for health plans are incongruent with how employees live today. To meet this demand, traditional direct primary care has adapted to a hybrid approach that fills this ever-widening void for employers who have remote employees in various states and mobile workers who live on the go.
A Hybrid Solution for the Remote Workforce
A hybrid Direct Primary Care (DPC) model is especially beneficial when it’s a nationwide network of physicians accessible in any state. This approach has been a game-changer for companies expanding their remote workforce across state lines. It’s also extremely beneficial for restaurants, hotels, and other hospitality industry businesses with locations in multiple states. Each provider has its list of particular services, but some DPC membership benefits include:
It’s helpful to have health insurance for catastrophic life events but being able to see the doctor when you’re ill without paying expensive deductibles or copays is a reason people love direct primary care. DPC also pairs well with minimum essential coverage, High deductible health plans medical cost-sharing memberships, and many other healthcare services.
In conclusion, traditional direct primary care practices and hybrid DPC organizations are working together to ensure people of all socioeconomic backgrounds can get the healthcare they need to live happier and healthier lives. If you’d like more information about access to affordable and convenient healthcare, let Healthcare2U know. As the nation’s fastest-growing hybrid DPC provider, we partner with organizations nationwide to provide affordable and convenient access to primary medical care.
When employees are too sick to come to work, businesses lose money. Chronic illnesses among employees cost U.S. employers more than half a trillion dollars in lost productivity each year. Even before the pandemic, sick days were up 12 percent in 2019—a collective 978 million sick days used cost companies $151 billion in lost revenue.
With 60 percent of American adults suffering from one or more chronic conditions, these staggering figures highlight the need to focus on disease prevention and high-quality care delivery for patients diagnosed with chronic conditions. Direct primary care is a vehicle for employees to prevent and maintain chronic conditions while minimizing their out-of-pocket costs and eliminating claims that would otherwise impact their employer’s profits.
Chronic Care Management ROI
In 2018, Humana reported that each unhealthy day linked to a chronic condition cost health plans $15.64 in additional medical care per person per month—an expense that can add up quickly over time.
It’s not surprising that patients with chronic conditions report more physically and mentally unhealthy days than the population average. However, people who proactively take steps to prevent escalating disease states usually experience fewer unhealthy days than those who allow their conditions to deteriorate due to lack of proper care.
A study of carrier claims data from Mercer Health Advantage revealed evidence for improved health outcomes and cost-savings return on investment (ROI) from providing chronic care management. This program offered through insurance carriers featured in-depth care management for the sickest employees and reported an aggregate return on investment of $3.30 for each $1 spent while improving patient health.
Expensive Health Risks Can be Managed
Employers who focus on the cost of healthcare expenses without also examining the cost of lost productivity (when employees are out of the office sick or perform at a limited capacity) miss a big part of the picture. The effects on their business outcomes and employee wellbeing are directly related. They should work closely with their benefits advisor to create a plan that can keep workers healthy while minimizing costs.
According to a recent report published in The Lancet Public Health, nearly $730 billion in healthcare spending can be linked to modifiable health risks, such as obesity, high blood pressure, and smoking. The study highlighted five risk factors mostly responsible for these modifiable healthcare costs.
The study estimates that more than 25 percent of all healthcare spending in the U.S. annually is due to conditions tied to lifestyle choices—preventable conditions to some degree.
Primary Care Manages Chronic Conditions
Fortunately, early-stage chronic disease management falls under primary care physicians’ purview (PCPs), making a no-claims option like direct primary care (DPC) a no-brainer. Unlike health insurance, DPC is a monthly health membership that affords members unlimited access to a PCP for a low monthly fee.
Instead of meeting deductibles or paying outrageous monthly premiums, the patient gets in-office visits and virtual care for a low monthly cost, depending on their plan. With the right DPC membership, employees can get primary care and chronic disease management without generating monthly claims for their employer. Employers love direct primary care because it doesn’t generate claims, and members don’t have to meet a deductible to have affordable access to the doctor. The savings for multiple employees over time can lead to exponential savings for large and small employers.
For more information on how a DPC membership can provide cost-effective chronic disease management, contact Healthcare2U, a nationwide, hybrid direct primary care organization.
March 9, 2021 (Austin, TX) – Healthcare2U, a membership-based, hybrid direct primary care (DPC) organization, today announced the nationwide availability of its partner program. The program is designed to help insurance agencies and third-party administrators grow their footprint and expand benefit offerings for employer groups by packaging existing products with Healthcare2U’s DPC suite of integrated primary care services. With this comprehensive offering, employer groups can reduce healthcare expenses and expand employee benefits to motivate and retain their workforce.
“Our partners are an integral part of the Healthcare2U community, and we strive to always think of new and creative ways to help them innovate their offerings to better serve their clients,” said Healthcare2U CEO and Co-founder, Andy Bonner. “Healthcare2U is aiming to bridge the affordability gap and give access to quality primary care for every member nationwide regardless of location, size or structure. Working together with our partners moves us one step closer to this mission.”
Insurance agency and Third-Party Administrator (TPA) partners are able to white label DPC within their customized products to deliver well-rounded, comprehensive healthcare memberships and valuable indemnity options to meet client population needs as well as align with sales incentives. Partners can also combine insurance products such as Minimum Essential Coverage to satisfy ACA-compliance requirements. As a result, employers can attract, motivate and retain their employees with affordable healthcare—reducing presenteeism, absenteeism and the onset of serious illnesses, which drive the increase of future healthcare costs.
“As a national insurance organization, it’s essential to partner with like-minded organizations that offer consistent and affordable pricing across state lines,” says Carlo Mulvenna, Vice President of Pan-American Life Insurance Group. “In the COVID-19 era, it is imperative to provide timely access to primary care physicians across the nation; so, naturally, Healthcare2U’s concierge service is an invaluable benefit for our clients. Our partnership provides an innovative option of seamless integration of Healthcare2U into a client’s existing benefit plan. And their unique multi-tiered delivery of unlimited primary care gave our nationwide insurance plans an added advantage. This is seen as a real value to clients’ benefit plans.”
Healthcare2U’s nationwide DPCplus membership provides a comprehensive suite of hybrid primary care services for employers and organizations of all sizes and structures. DPC provides unlimited benefits such as in-office acute visits for primary care and urgent care, annual physicals, early-stage chronic disease management, and 24/7 virtual DPC.
By providing affordable and convenient access to primary care, members seek treatment before the onset of serious illnesses, reducing an employer’s exposure to shock claims down the road. In addition to providing accessible care, no claims are generated for any of Healthcare2U’s services – making the membership a cost-containment feature that shields employers’ insurance premiums from unnecessary claims.
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Tweet This: Healthc2U announces their nationwide Partner Program for insurance agencies and Third-Party Administrators. Partnership opportunities expand benefit offerings for employer groups through a nationwide suite of direct primary care services.
About Healthcare2U
Healthcare2U is a membership-based, hybrid direct primary care (DPC) organization that ensures employers of all sizes and structures have nationwide access to affordable, consistent, and quality primary care over 40% below the average cost of traditional DPC practices operating in the market today. Through our proprietary Private Physician Network (PPN)™, Healthcare2U promotes healthy living by detecting, treating, and managing acute and chronic conditions before the onset of serious illness. Healthcare2U is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and is available nationwide. For more information, visit www.healthc2u.com. Follow us on Twitter @Healthc2U and LinkedIn at Healthcare2U.
Media Contact:
Courtney Babin
(512) 900-8900 x 114
courtney@healthc2u.com
www.healthc2u.com
Click the graphic below to download. Also, read Healthcare2U’s blog post, Looking into Healthcare’s Crystal Ball – The Present and Future of Direct Primary Care
February 4, 2021 (Austin, TX) – Healthcare2U, a membership-based, hybrid direct primary care (DPC) organization, today announced it has gained significant market momentum in the last 12 months with a 66% percent increase in member adoption of its comprehensive suite of hybrid direct primary care solutions. Small to large-size employer groups, unions, and associations across the U.S. have been the strongest adopters. Healthcare2U credits high health expenses, rising deductibles and premiums, and care fragmentation as key market drivers.
By being the first-to-market hybrid DPC organization delivering affordable access to high-quality primary care at a price point of 40% below the average cost of traditional independent DPC practices operating in the market today, Healthcare2U is redefining the approach to the long-standing burden of accessing and navigating primary care—the entry point to the healthcare system.
“We have seen a steady increase in direct primary care spending over the last year and expect it to continue beyond 2021 due to pressing initiatives such as healthcare reform and rising premiums,” said Healthcare2U CEO and Co-founder, Andy Bonner. “We are also seeing our solution becoming a key component to directly addressing healthcare barriers, which tells us we are relieving a pain point that has long been viewed as unsolvable. The fact we have experienced a large increase in membership is a powerful endorsement of our value proposition. We look forward to another exciting year of strong growth.”
Healthcare2U 2020 milestones include:
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Tweet This: @Healthc2U gained significant market share in the last 12 months with a 66% percent increase in member adoption. Check it out here: https://ctt.ac/xD7Q4+
About Healthcare2U
Healthcare2U is a membership-based, hybrid direct primary care (DPC) organization that ensures employers of all sizes and structures have nationwide access to affordable, consistent, and quality primary care over 40% below the average cost of traditional DPC practices operating in the market today. Through our proprietary Private Physician Network (PPN)™, Healthcare2U promotes healthy living by detecting, treating, and managing acute and chronic conditions before the onset of serious illness. Healthcare2U is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and is available nationwide. For more information, visit www.healthc2u.com. Follow us on Twitter @Healthc2U and LinkedIn at Healthcare2U.
Media Contact:
Courtney Babin
(512) 900-8900 x 114
courtney@healthc2u.com
www.healthc2u.com
© 2024 Healthcare2U.
All Rights Reserved.